This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1931. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

The cleanup costs this property still faces — additional investigation, remedial design, and any further soil or groundwater work — could plausibly be funded by the historical carriers who insured Snohomish County's operations at this facility during its 1931-to-mid-1960s active period, when occurrence-based CGL policies were standard. The petroleum contamination documented here traces directly to those decades of county road-maintenance activity, and the remediation expenditures already incurred — large-scale excavation, thermal desorption, building demolition — further establish the magnitude of the loss those same policies may be obligated to cover.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.